Fusion Pharmaceuticals Launches to Develop Targeted Radiotherapeutics as Cancer Treatments

Fusion Pharmaceuticals, a newly formed biopharmaceutical company developing targeted alpha-particle radiotherapeutics for treating cancer, today announced the closing of a $25 million Series A financing led by founding venture investor, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc., with investments by HealthCap, TPG Biotech, Genesys Capital and FACIT (Fight Against Cancer Innovation Trust). Targeted alpha-particle emitting radiotherapeutics combine the precision of molecular targeting agents, such as antibodies with the potency of alpha-particle emitting radioisotopes to specifically attack and eradicate cancer cells.

The syndicate is strengthened by HealthCap’s specialized expertise in pioneering a new wave of successful radiotherapeutic companies, such as Algeta and Nordic Nanovector.

Fusion Pharmaceuticals is a spinout from the Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization (CPDC), an organization that Dr. John Valliant, Ph.D., founded in 2008 and is a Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) located at McMaster Universityin Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The CPDC, which was created with the support of multiple stakeholders, including the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), has rapidly become a world leader in the development, translation and manufacturing of radiopharmaceuticals.

In addition to Dr. Valliant, founder and chief executive officer, the company’s board of directors consists of Asish Xavier, Ph.D. (Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc.), Robert Sutherland, Ph.D., Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization (CPDC), Eran Nadav, Ph.D. (TPG Biotech), Johan Christenson, M.D. (HealthCap) and Damian Lamb (Genesys), who will assume the role of chairman of the board.

"Targeted delivery of medical isotopes that emit alpha particles can be used to kill tumor cells with remarkable precision and unprecedented potency, and it has the added potential of having complementary effects with treatments which activate the immune system," said Dr. John Valliant, CEO. "Fusion is focused on combining our expertise in radiopharmaceutical development and production with the appropriate targeting molecules to create a new generation of therapeutics that can address the need for better cancer treatments. Fusion is proud to join a wave of new Canadian biotech companies that are being launched with innovative technologies emerging from research institutions like McMaster University."

Fusion Pharmaceuticals will use the financing proceeds to advance its lead program, FPX-01, into human clinical trials. FPX-01 is an antibody-targeted radiotherapy, which seeks out a specific biomarker of resistance that is present on nearly all types of treatment refractory cancers. The technology is designed to selectively deliver actinium-225 to tumor cells so that in conjunction with internalization, the alpha particles emitted will eradicate diseased tissue. In parallel, Fusion Pharmaceuticals gained access to a centyrin-based targeting molecule in preclinical development that has the potential to deliver isotopes to several cancer types and access to the centyrin protein targeting platform in two licensing agreements with Janssen Biotech, Inc. in transactions facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation.

Centyrins are protein targeting agents, proprietary to Janssen Biotech, characterized by high selectivity and specificity, combined with tunable pharmaceutical properties and efficient manufacturing. Fusion Pharmaceuticals is building its pipeline through access to the centyrin platform in combination with proprietary labeling technologies, which can be applied to a wide range of targeting molecules.